22 Nov 2017 Benalla Ensign, Benalla VIC (General News) Benalla Bushrangers Cricket Club is one of four sports clubs to receive a lifesaving defibrillator and training under the governments Defibrillators for Sporting Clubs and Facilities Program. State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes last week announced the successful applicants from the third round of the program. The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with the roll out of 1000 life-saving defibrillators to clubs and facilities across Victoria, which has been a huge success, she said. Ms Symes said defibrillators at local sports clubs keep players safe, spectators protected, and were a vital tool for the community. In a life-threatening sudden cardiac arrest every second counts and bystanders play a critical role, and Im very pleased Labor is again delivering for our local clubs, Ms Symes said. Without a defibrillator close by, the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is somewhere between two and five per cent. When a defibrillator is used within the first few minutes, the rate of survival can rise to 70 per cent. Ms Symes said the great news was that more bystanders than ever were stepping in to save lives. The use of public defibrillators for cardiac arrests has soared four-fold from 2.8 per cent in 2006/07 to 11 per cent in 2015/16. Its great to see these local clubs take the initiative to make their environment more safe, Ms Symes said. These defibrillators and training will help the clubs in case an emergency strikes. The new devices will appear on Ambulance Victorias database, so that triple zero operators will be able to direct callers to the new devices available when emergency strikes. For more information about the Defibrillators for Sporting Clubs and Facilities Program or how to apply online for future rounds, visit www.sport.vic.gov.au Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.